


Too Late

by ElderWhizzerBrown



Category: bare: A Pop Opera - Hartmere/Intrabartolo
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Drug Use, Gen, Like, M/M, Three Things One Thing, but with three instead of five
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-31 21:47:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17857550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElderWhizzerBrown/pseuds/ElderWhizzerBrown
Summary: 3 people who knew about Peter and Jason and never said anything and 1 who did





	Too Late

**1**

“Take my hand,” Nadia whispers to Jason. “This is a mess, but we’ll get through it, right? I’m your sister. I’ll always be here for you.”

He ignores her.

***

How did Nadia find out her brother was dating his roommate? She didn’t quite remember. It had just been obvious for a while.

She would catch the looks they sent to each other, see only one bed slept in when she came by in the mornings, notice how they always seemed to slip off together. Nothing concrete on its own, but it had always been obvious.

It was in the hallway. After math class, she heard them whispering to each other. Nadia, meaning to talk to Jason about something or other, rounded the corner just in time to see Jason give Peter a quick kiss before hurrying off.

Peter watched him go, smiling after him, before turning and seeing Nadia. He froze. “Don’t say anything.”

“I won’t.”

He breathed loudly a few times and nodded. “So how about that math test?”

They never brought it up again.

 

**2**

“You know we’re still cool, right?” Lucas gives him the drugs. Jason smiles, a tiny thing. Lucas wishes he could say more, tell him he’d already known, but he didn’t. This is the best option.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jason take them before curtain.

***

Sometimes he wondered if Jason was just his friend for the drugs. He was clearly one of the ones who wanted out of his head. What for, Lucas could never work out. He seemed to have the perfect life. Maybe it was the stress of it all.

“Sometimes I wonder if, like, he really cares,” Jason said.

Lucas was laying next to him on Lucas’ bed, vaguely worried about how high Jason had gotten so fast. Lucas wasn’t as high as him, not on a Sunday. “Who?”

Jason sighed, sitting up and clutching the pillow tighter. “Would he leave me if I don’t want to tell everyone? I’m probably not the only guy he’d ever date, right? Shit, he's gonna leave me.”

Somewhere in Lucas’ brain that registered as odd. “Who?” It occurred to him that he sounded like an owl and he had to fight to contain his giggles. “Who are you talkin’ about, man?”

Jason lays back down and gives him an exasperated look. “Peter. My boyfriend. Who else?”

“Peter.” Lucas tried to remember why he was confused. “Your boyfriend.” Oh, right! They were supposed to be best friends, not boyfriends. That’s what was odd. “Peter, your roommate?”

“Right.”

“Cool.”

He tried to bring it up the next day, but Jason didn’t know what he was talking about. He’d forgotten having told him. Lucas let him forget.

 

**3**

Sister Chantelle saw Jason pull Peter aside before the show started. She smiled, assuming they were making up.

Jason collapsed into Peter’s arms in the middle of the play.

***

She’d always wondered about Peter and Jason. They were the closest friends she’d ever seen. Did it mean anything? Probably not, but Sister Chantelle wondered.

Peter has always been the most enthusiastic student in the play. He was a fairly good actor, too, one of the better ones.

After spring break, that changed.

He talked to Jason less, shooting him _looks_ when he thought no one was watching, but Sister Chantelle was.

Ivy was late for rehearsal.

“Alright, who’s Juliet’s understudy?” Sister Chantelle asked.

Diane Lee rushed forward. “Me, Sister!”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course she was. Cursing past Chantelle’s decisions, she gave the nod to begin the scene.

It became clear that Diane didn’t know any of her lines within five minutes. She was barely keeping herself from tearing her hair out when Peter stepped forward, continuing from where Diane had left off.

Jason’s eyes looked panicked, but he continued the scene. She was sure, in that moment, that she hadn’t been imagining anything.

They held eye contact longer than strictly necessary once rehearsal was over. She confronted Peter when he came back for his jacket.

“You’re beautiful the way you are,” she remembered telling him. “God made you this way and he don’t make mistakes, you got that?”

He broke down crying and hugged her. She didn’t usually like touching students, but she made an exception. He needed this.

 

 **+1**  

Matt stared at him as Ivy called 911. He’d caused this. Him. His fault.

“Wake up, Jace,” Peter sobbed desperately. “Wake up, wake up!” They had to pull him away when the paramedics arrived.

***

It was always Jason. Jason got Ivy, he got the lead in the play, he was valedictorian. Matt would always be second best to fucking Jason McConnell.

It was even worse when he learned Jason was gay. When he learned about him and Peter. He still got the girl after that. Ivy wanted Jason and she would never want Matt.

He couldn’t stand it. He really couldn’t stand it.

At the final rehearsal before the show, he overheard Ivy and Jason talking. Matt paused to listen.

“You know what I’m saying!” Ivy seethed. “I’d never make something like this up! What kind of person do you think I am?”

A pause.

Jason sighed. “Look, Ivy, I need to write this speech-”

“Oh, I’ve got a good opening for you! You got me pregnant! Put that in your fucking speech.”

Matt couldn’t think. Jason didn’t deserve her. He’d practically ruined her and still acted like he cared. They were whispering softly, comfortingly to each other.

“Maybe you could- maybe you could love me,” Ivy’s voice was so small. “If you really tried.”

He came in. Neither looked at him until he started talking. “Maybe he would love you if he wasn’t...the way he is. He’s a selfish jerk. He doesn’t care about anyone.”

Ivy looked at him, her face angry. “No, he’s not-”

“I would’ve treated you better than he does.” Matt’s voice raised as he spoke. “But he didn’t even tell you he’s already in love.”

“Matt.” Jason’s voice was warning, warning and terrified.

“He’s in love with his roommate.”

Jason winced. His voice wavered. “Fuck you, Matt.”

“Thanks for the offer, but _I_ like girls. Not that you’d know much about that.” He felt a sick sort of satisfaction at the emotion in Jason’s eyes.

“Am I late?” Peter asked from behind him. His eyes flickered warily as he took in the scene. “What happened? What’d I miss?”

The rest of the students trickled in. “Ivy’s pregnant and your boyfriend’s a dad.” Matt couldn’t keep himself from continuing. “So what does that make you?”

Peter’s eyes widened. He stared at Jason, who wouldn’t meet his eyes. Matt heard him mutter, “But you said you didn’t…” His voice raised. “She’s what? What the fuck are you talking about?”

He looked back at Matt. Betrayed. A look that haunted him for years, along with Jason’s hyperventilating, and Ivy’s desperate voice asking if he was kidding, Nadia trying to talk to her brother, and he couldn’t stand it, couldn’t stand _himself_ anymore for doing this.

Matt turned and ran out of the room.

**Author's Note:**

> Well this is more angsty than I intended. Please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed!


End file.
